1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, especially en electrical connector mounted on a circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
This kind of electrical connector is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai Number 2002-8753 (FIG. 12).
As shown in FIG. 4, this connector system comprises a socket type connector 50 and a mating connector 60 plugged-in the connector 50. The connectors 50 and 60 are mounted on corresponding circuit boards P1 and P2, respectively. When in use, the connectors 50 and 60 are usually plugged-in each other under the condition that they are mounted on the circuit boards P1 and P2.
The connector 50 has a shape of a thin parallelepiped, wherein a widthwise dimension thereof is larger than a heightwise dimension thereof and lengthwise direction thereof perpendicular to a plane of the sheet of paper is larger than the widthwise dimension. A housing 51 of the connector 50 has a receiving space 53 inside a peripheral wall 52 for receiving the mating connector 60. The receiving space 53 is provided with a plugging protrusion 54 in the center thereof for plugging with the mating connector 60.
Each of terminals 55 of the connector 50 is fixed to the housing 51 from above such that a bent portion provided in the middle thereof hold the peripheral wall 52. The terminal 55 comprises a contact portion 56 at an end thereof on the receiving space side and a connection portion 57 at the other end thereof projecting outside the housing 51, which is connected to the circuit board P1. The contact portion 56 is formed as a bent and made resiliently displaceable.
Guide walls 58 projecting upwardly are provided at both sides of the connector 50. Each of the guide walls 58 has a slant face 59 to facilitate the guidance of the mating connector 60.
The mating connector 60 has a shape suitable to be inserted into the receiving space 53 and terminals 62 are attached to side surface of a housing 61. The terminal 62 comprises a contact portion 63 in the middle thereof fixed to the side face of the housing 61 and a connection portion 64 at an end extending outwardly. The connection portion 64 is connected to the circuit board P2.
This kind of connector is required to be a low profile, wherein a heightwise dimension (height in the plugging direction) is small, to make small a distance between the facing circuit boards. If the distance is small, an electronic apparatus incorporating the circuit boards with the connectors is made thin.
Since both the connectors are plugged-in each other on the condition that they are fixed to the circuit boards, it is difficult to observe the position of the plugging because the visual field is obstructed by the circuit boards. Accordingly, if the slant portion 59 of the connector 50 is made longer, the guidance of the mating connector to the plugging position becomes easier. However, the guide wall 58 is required to be high to provide a long slant portion 59, and the long slant portion 59 makes large the size of the connector in the heightwise direction. Consequently, it is difficult to provide a connector of low profile. If the slant portion is attempted to be long without making large the height of the connector, the angle of the slant portion becomes gentle, which make it difficult to guide the mating connector to the plugging position smoothly.